New Eras call for New Thinking. - Jason Bryant
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Independent Thinking - Exploring a new era for retail and the high street
Verdant Forrest Productions
A podcast exploring a new era for the high street - we discuss how bricks and mortar retail is evolving across the UK, and why the 'death of the high street' is far from inevitable. Join us as we go behind the scenes of inspiring retailers and shops you love, speak to industry experts making their predictions for the future, and hear from those at the heart of it all, sharing stories about how they started, how they continue to evolve and why they believe in their local high street.
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"It's just headsets, innit?" - How the Metaverse will revolutionise retail and change the way we see our high streets with IBM's Mary Wallace
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We've all heard the term Metaverse by now, but what is does it actually mean? What could it mean for how we do business or how we shop, for example? How we interact with brands? Will it be detrimental to bricks and mortar retail? And how relevant is it to independent retailers? The answers might not be what you think. This week's episode is with Ma…
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Taking the power back: why the future of town centres is in our hands with Professor Leigh Sparks
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This week we're talking the power of localism, collaboration in retail and why a bleak future isn't inevitable for the high street, as we sit down in conversation with Professor Leigh Sparks - Professor of Retail studies and Deputy Principal of University of Stirling. In this fascinating episode, Leigh talks brilliantly about the choices that have …
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Elasticated waists and unfriendly greetings [cards] : Why it's time to rethink attitudes to ageing in retail
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This week, we’re continuing our look at industry wide trends and the retail sector as a whole, as we speak to Ailsa Forbes, Retail Impact Fellow at International Longevity Centre UK. Founded in 1997, the ILC is the only specialist thinktank of its kind, looking into longevity in our society and how people can live meaningful and independent lives, …
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Why we can't give up on our high streets with Andrew Goodacre, CEO of British Independent Retailers Association
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We’re kicking off this series in discussion with Andrew Goodacre, CEO of British Independent Retailers Association, BIRA - who have been supporting independent retailers for over 120 years. They have an incredible overview of the sector, speaking daily to their indie members about being in business, supporting them to navigate challenges in the ind…
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Christmas Special: Celebrating independents, last minute shopping and debunking hustle culture with Curate Glasgow
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This is the second of our Christmas themed episodes, as we sit down with Kate from Curate Glasgow, an online discovery platform for independents, that enables them to share their work with new audiences, and helps people like you and me discover our new favourites. From cafes to chocolate makers, ceramicists to florists and much much more, Curate c…
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Christmas Special: A toast to independent whisky shops with Woven Whisky
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A cheeky festive special before the new series kicks off in the new year! And what better way to kick off proceedings that by chatting all things whisky - a drink that so many of us toast with at Hogmanay, or treat others to as a present at this time of year. So, we’re chatting to Duncan from Woven - a disruptor to the market and makers of blended …
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What does a post-pandemic recovery look like for our high streets? with Centre for Cities
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And just like that, we're at the end of series 5! To round off then, today we’re speaking to Valentine from Centre for Cities, a leading think tank dedicated to the prosperity of the UK’s towns and cities, who conduct a huge amount of research on everything from the impact of urban transport on the success of a local high street, to net zero and ho…
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Books, Bath and beyond - chatting 'extreme customer service' and bucking retail trends with bookshop Mr B’s Emporium
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There are few places you can escape reality better (on the high street at least) than in a bookshop. Shelves filled with history, memoirs, adventure, sadness, scandal and delight; wonder, joy, pleasure and heartbreak. Books can transport us to another time and remind us that some thoughts and feelings are as old as time itself. Imagination is at th…
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Leaps of faith and wisdom nuggets with The Business Proposal Podcast
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Three podcast hosts for the price of one! This week we have a very special collab episode with the Business Proposal Podcast as we speak to hosts Ellie Kime and Rachel Emma Waring all about our love of small business and winding paths to success, all the times they’ve taken huge leaps of faith, reliving moments with some truly terrible bosses, what…
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The power of the pen: making a mark in business with leading stationers Papersmiths
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This week, just in time for those Back to School and fresh pencil case vibes, I’m delighted to be in conversation with Sidonie from Papersmiths, a ‘stationery shop of your dreams’ with branches in London and Brighton. Sidonie shares her story about the brand’s humble beginnings, through the growth of the business, moving cities, scaling up, and get…
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Stories behind the shopfronts: Celebrating high street culture with Historic England
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After a slightly longer break than planned - we are BACK! And what a series opener we have for you... If you've ever reminisced about teenage days spent lolling around your town centre and the role your high street played in growing up, or spotted a ghost sign on the side of a building and pondered "what's that?" - then you're going to love this ep…
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Tattie Wagons, early starts and pushing piccalilli: A year in the life of gourmet grocers Food by Nourish
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In the last episode of this series, this week we’re speaking to Food by Nourish, a gourmet grocer and deli, based in South Lanarkshire. Created by friends Greg and Richard, the business started life in a humble van (the Tattie Wagon) delivering veg throughout lockdown, but my, have they come a long way since then. We talk about food as a force for …
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The art of being a buyer, true customer connection, and thoughtful retail design with Restoration Yard
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This week, we are joined by Taisir Gibreel, Head of Retail at Restoration Yard, the winner of Best Store Design award at Draper's Independent's Awards 2021. Taisir speaks about how she's brought her years of experience as a designer to store merchandising, the thrill of buying and connecting with producers and why she just loves the magic and theat…
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Reasons to be cheerful...Christmas planning, innovation and driving positive change in retail with Dr Sarah Montano
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Now, it’s fair to say this year has thrown its fair amount of challenges at retailers. Covid restrictions, Brexit.. just to name two hugely important factors this year of course. But to this we can add; wider global economic uncertainty, global heating and climate change becoming more acute... all making us consider our decisions as consumers and i…
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Revisited: Transformative partnerships, taking a brand to the next level, and living fearlessly with Bon Tot
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This episode was brought to you by Rebecca, Elaine and Natalie who have kindly pledged their support for the show through Patreon! Hello to you all - you have my eternal gratitude and are helping keep this show on the road! This week we have the first of our Revisited episodes, where a guest from a previous series joins us once again to update us o…
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A rare treat for retail - bringing a subscription service to life with Rare Birds Books
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This week, we are speaking to Rare Birds Books founder, Rachel. Rare Birds Book Club started life as a subscription service, created by Rachel to fill a gap in the market - offering a hand-picked selection of women’s literature to shake up your regular reading habits and broaden your horizons. In the past 4 years the business has gone from strength…
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Exploring sustainability and collective action in retail, with ethical textile atelier Bawn: A COP 26 Special
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Our first guest of the series is a special to coincide with COP 26, the UN Climate Change Conference which, if you’re listening to this on the day of release, started yesterday in Glasgow. So, who better to talk to than a business based in the city, which has sustainability at its heart. Today we’re speaking to Bevan from Bawn - an ethical textile …
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East Coast Cured on the power of local: resilience, optimism and community spirit
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Just like that, we're at the end of series 3! We'll off on our summer break, but worry not - we'll be back before you know it with more stories from independents across Scotland in the Autumn! Before we go though, we are delighted to bring you our chat with East Coast Cured - as we speak to founders Susie and Steven. Founded in an attic in 2017, Ea…
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Summer special: Putting quality at the heart of your business and opening your first retail space with Joe from gelato makers, Joelato
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There has been much talk about the new St James Quarter that opened in Edinburgh last month, and a huge amount of discussion and excitement about their food market - Bonnie & Wild. We’ll be discussing the wider development in more depth next series, but we wanted to first catch up with one of the traders in the new market, gelato makers Joelato - b…
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New beginnings in business with Jo & Georgina of Jeffrey's Interiors
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This week, as we continue to look at partnerships in small business - we’re chatting to Jo and Georgina from Edinburgh-based interior designer company - Jeffrey’s Interiors, who have recently completed a management buyout from the original owners, Jeff and Alison. It’s not something we’ve discussed a great deal on the show so far - what happens whe…
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What next for empty department stores? with the Twentieth Century Society
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The department store has, in many ways, had one of the most tumultuous journeys of all, of those on the High Street. Whilst some key players in the sector are seeking to innovate and fast - in terms of new ranges, refurbishments of key sites, and investment in new services as they seek to make their stores real destinations for customers - the fact…
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At the heart of the High Street - chatting charity retail with Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland
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This week, as we explore other stories from our evolving high street, we're chatting all things charity shops. We all know the pressures that non-essential retail has been under this past year, but what about the impact on a sector who rely on retail income to support those are living with long term health conditions? Who are supporting and working…
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Pop ups and polar expeditions: Adventures in retail with sustainable clothing brand, Meander
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Welcome back! As we explore more partnerships in business, today I’m joined by another husband and wife team - Jill and Steve from Meander. Meander is a sustainable clothing brand, passionate about making outdoor clothing more accessible, appealing and wearable - clothing that looks just at home in the city as it does on the hillside. They both hav…
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Opening Aeble, Scotland's first cider shop and taking the leap into retail with Grant & Jaye Hutchison
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Hello and welcome back to Independent Thinking. Thank you so much for your comments about our first episodes of the series so far, they both seem to really have resonated with you, which is what we’re all about! This week, we continue our exploration of partnerships in business with Aeble, Scotland’s first and only cider shop brought to you by husb…
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From Century General Store with love - care packages, paying it forward and putting compassion at the heart of your business
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Today, I am delighted to be joined by a business who has been name checked a number of times in our past series - Nadia and Stevie from Century General Store. The past year has been a time of significant change for them, not least in them choosing to close their bricks and mortar site in Abbeyhill, Edinburgh, (which is now operated by Common Coffee…
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Trusting your instinct, Instagram vs reality and tales from the rural high street with Flora Shedden, of ARAN Bakery and LON Store
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This week’s guest is the wonderful Flora Shedden. Many of you will know her from appearing on Great British Bake Off back in 2015, but she is now the proud owner of ARAN bakery and LON store in the village of Dunkeld, in rural Perthshire. ARAN and LON, founded in 2017 and 2020 respectively have both become a real draw for food-lovers to the village…
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Experiential retail, predicting consumer trends and the rise of Phygital with Dr Sarah Montano, University of Birmingham
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Now feels like a good time to gain a little perspective and think about what’s happening in retail and on our high streets in more depth; help us understand why we are where we are, what our high streets could look like in the future and what trends we can expect to emerge. And who better to do this with than Dr Sarah Montano, Senior Lecturer in Ma…
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Colour, collaboration and community: Designing a future-ready high street with Annie Marrs, UNESCO City of Design Dundee
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Today, I’m delighted to be joined by Annie Marrs, Lead Officer at UNESCO City of Design Dundee. In recent years, Dundee has undergone a huge amount of change, driven by design - from new public realm and waterfront development to the opening of a world-class facility with V&A Dundee, dedicated to celebrating innovative approaches to design. But how…
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Putting people at the heart of your business and leaning into the unknown, with Stag hairdressers
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In all this talk about numbers of job losses on the high street right now, it’s very easy to forget that these are people’s livelihoods, careers and pay packets we’re talking about. The situation is made all the crueller when people won’t be able to say goodbye to their stores that they may have worked at for years, or share one last tea break with…
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Reflecting on the changing face of retail and how Instagram is revolutionising the way shopowners relate to their customers with Sarah from Pencil Me In
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Today I’m very pleased to be joined by Sarah from Pencil Me In - a stationery shop based in Elgin. Passionate about showcasing work from the finest UK designers, illustrators and makers, we chat to Sarah about how she curates her offer, her reflections on the UK high street and why she was inspired to start #MyShopLife back in 2017 - an Instagram c…
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How online communities can help foster real connection on our high streets with Curate.Glasgow
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Today I’m delighted to be joined by Kate Maxwell, from Curate. Glasgow. Curate. Glasgow is an online platform to discover new independent makers, creatives and retailers. Born out of Kate’s love for independent retail, as a way to celebrate Glasgow’s creatives and their work - the website acts as a directory of cool and interesting businesses offer…
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The story of how Dumfries are reclaiming their high street - with Midsteeple Quarter
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Today our guest is Scott MacKay, Project Manager of Midsteeple Quarter. A Community Benefit Society set up and run by the people of Dumfries, Midsteeple Quarter has a bold vision to shape a new future for their town centre - by bringing 8 underused buildings in and around their high street back into community control. It’s a fascinating project tha…
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Pivoting to retail overnight and the joys of pop-up shops with florist and interior stylist Style Your Spaces, Edinburgh ( A St Stephen Street Christmas Special)
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This week, in our final full episode of the series, to add a touch of joy -I give you the second of our Christmas episodes, as we speak to Style Your Spaces. Style Your Spaces is a creative floristry and styling company - who specialise in installations for retail, styling for photo shoots, weddings and events. However, like so many others working …
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Running a family business, adapting to new trends in food and serious Christmas planning with I. J. Mellis Cheesemongers
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In a festive special, I’m delighted to be joined this week by Rory Mellis from Mellis Cheesemongers. Mellis has a special place in so many foodie's hearts across Scotland, particularly at this time of year, when joining the queue outside one of their branches to choose what cheese will finish off the Christmas meal, has become, for many, synonymous…
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Helping others to build their brands and the role of pop up spaces on our high streets with Space at Seventeen, Edinburgh (St Stephen Street Series)
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This week we return to St Stephen Street, to stop by number 17 - and to Space at Seventeen. We speak to founder, Jess about bringing an idea to life, the role of pop up spaces on our local high streets and why they’re so proud to play a part in other people’s small business stories. Jess has such an inspiring approach, with a charming story of how …
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The power of resilience in retail and why coffee shops are the cornerstones of our communities with Lovecrumbs, Edinburgh (St Stephen Street Series)
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In today’s episode, we continue our St Stephen Street Series with Lovecrumbs, or Mini Lovecrumbs as their shop at number 22 is known. Mini Lovecrumbs offers a cosy nook on the street to escape into a large slice of cake and a cracking cup of coffee. We chat to founder Hollie, about their story so far, the importance of coffee shops in a community, …
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Independent bookshops as 'anchors of authenticity' and how lockdown affected our reading habits with Golden Hare Books, Edinburgh (St Stephen Street Series)
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In this week’s episode of our St Stephen Street Series, we welcome Golden Hare Books, who reside at number 68 - an independent bookshop established in 2012. I talked to bookseller David about how the shop has evolved since the business began, how independent bookshops are bucking the trend when it comes to retail, and how they have seen the effects…
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Building an ethical brand & the wonders of immersive retail spaces with Treen, Edinburgh (St Stephen Street Series)
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As we continue our St Stephen Street Series, I’m delighted to be joined by vegan fashion retailer, Treen. We talk to owner, Cat about her incredible approach to this extraordinary year, her drive for the business and why she loves to go above and beyond for her customers. Cat has an infectious energy and passion for her business, and talks with suc…
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Leading authentically in business, the evolving world of retail and cheerleading your fellow independents with Bon Tot, Edinburgh (St Stephen Street Series)
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In the first of our St Stephen Street Series, we welcome Bon Tot. Established in 2014, Bon Tot is a modern kids store. Whilst primarily known as a childrensware shop, they stock a growing range of sustainable lifestyle products and have this year upped their eco credentials even further by launching a buy back scheme, Bon Voyage. We talked to the s…
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The joys of slow shopping and buying thoughtfully with zero-waste shop The Good Store, Edinburgh
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Hello and welcome to Independent Thinking, the podcast exploring a new era for the high street. In today’s episode, I’m delighted to be joined by Jamila and Natasha from The Good Store, a plastic free groceries store in the leafy neighbourhood of Inverleith, Edinburgh. With a background in Nutrition and a passion for sustainability between them, th…
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Taking a punt on a family recipe, grown-up soft drinks and getting a product to market (in lockdown) with Nuisance Drinks, Edinburgh
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A bonus episode especially for those in the midst of Sober October, and something a little different to our usual episodes about shops and shop-fronts, as we talk to Nuisance Drinks about starting a business during lockdown and what it takes to break into the world of soft drinks. Hugo, founder of Nuisance, decided to leave his job working in the c…
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Opening your first business and following your passions with plant shop, Holly Grows
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Today I'm delighted to be joined by Holly, from Holly Grows. Established during deepest lockdown, Holly Grows is a plant and interiors business which promises to liven up your home with a beautiful range of houseplants. For those who have no idea where to start, they have an interiors service to help you decide what plants are right for you, and wh…
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Establishing a cult following, staying true to yourself and creating the world-famous Honeymoon Slice, with The Pastry Section, Edinburgh
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Today I'm delighted to be joined by Lesley, from The Pastry Section in Stockbridge, Edinburgh. Nestled in the heart of Stockbridge, Edinburgh, lives The Pastry Section, a bakery for anyone with a sweet tooth. Established in 2017, it is a contemporary bakery that you won’t find baking sausage rolls or offering sandwiches anytime soon - for this plac…
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What's so special about independent retail? A little introduction to the podcast and your host...
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Welcome to Independent Thinking, the podcast exploring a new era for the high street. We’ll be celebrating those who are doing wonderful, creative things in the most difficult of circumstances. It’s about going behind the scenes of businesses and shops you love, that you look forward to visiting, that add joy to your high street. Before we begin th…
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My 2019 vision board and #MarathonMindset - .0 (Raw).... Jason Bryant’s very first solo podcast. He shares his personal story and vision board, while giving his insight on life goals.
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